Vapor treatment of containers with finish air barrier

ABSTRACT

A TREATMENT HOOD DESIGNED TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A CONVEYOR ON WHICH BOTTLES OR LIKE ARTICLES ARE MOVED IN SUCCESSION THROUGH THE HOOD. TIN CHLORIDE OR TITANIUM CHLORIDE VAPOR IS INTRODUCED INTO THE HOOD AT A POINT BELOW THE MIDPOINT OF THE CONTAINERS OR ARTICLES TO BE COATED AND SUCH TREATMENT IS PREVENTED FROM IMPINGING ON THE NECK OR FINISH OF THE CONTAINER. A CROSS-   AIR BARRIER IS DIRECTED ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE HOOD TO SWEEP JUST BELOW THE NECK OF THE CONTAINER AND BE DIRECTED TOWARD AN EXHAUST SYSTEM POSITIONED ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE CONVEYOR.

NEW. 30, 1971 c, A, FRANK 3,623,854

VAPOR TREATMENT OF CONTAINERS WITH FINISH AIR BARRIER Filed Aug. 28, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet) I N VENTOR.

C. A. FRANK Nov. 30, 1971 VAPOR TREATMENT OF CONTAINERS WITH FINISH AIR BARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 28, 1968 United States Patent C 3,623,854 VAPOR TREATMENT OF CONTAINERS WITH FINISH AIR BARRIER Charles A. Frank, Bridgeton, N.J., assignor to Owens-Illinois, Inc. Filed Aug. 28, 1968, Ser. No. 756,024 Int. Cl. C03c /00, 17/00 US. Cl. 65-30 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A treatment hood designed to be used in conjunction with a conveyor on which bottles or like articles are moved in succession through the hood. Tin chloride or titanium chloride vapor is introduced into the hood at a point below the midpoint of the containers or articles to be coated and such treatment is prevented from impinging on the neck or finish of the container. A crossair barrier is directed across the width of the hood to sweep just below the neck of the container and be directed toward an exhaust system positioned along the length of the conveyor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the surface treatment of glass containers and in particular those which are still hot from the forming of the container in which an organometallic halide in vapor form or as a dispersion is directed at the outside of the container from four sides to increase the scratch resistance, lubricity and strength of a container.

It has been the practice in the past to spray-coat containers either at what is termed the hot end (still hot from forming) or at the cold end (as the bottle leaves the lehr or after being annealed). For example, as shown in US. Pat. No. 2,813,045 to R. B. Abbott, Jr., surface treating of the bottles is carried out just prior to the bottles leaving the lehr. Another example of a treatment hood arrangement for containers at the so-called hot end is described in US. application Ser. No. 484,677 filed Sept. 2, 1965 and assigned to the assignee of this application, now abandoned.

The present application constitutes an arrangement of a bottle treating hood in which the treatment is kept off of the finish or neck area of the bottle. It has been applicants experience that when treatment covers the finish of the bottle, particularly the type of treatment which is used at the hot end, problems arise with respect to the sealing equipment for closing the end of the container after fill and if the vapor is permitted to circulate over the entire container, there is the possibility that some of the treatment, vapor or gas, will find its way into the bottle interior. If a thread or lug type closure is used, the torque requirements for applying and removing the closure will be changed and may cause sealing problems. Also, the tin of the treatment may react with iron in the closure to cause rust. This may occur in both crown type closures as well as thread or lug closures.

The present invention is directed primarily to a process and apparatus for treating glass containers at the hot end to provide benefits obtained from such treatment, which benefits are taught in US. Pat. No. 3,323,889 issued June 6, 1967, without having the treatment applied to the finish of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, on a somewhat enlarged scale.

With reference to the drawings, the apparatus of the invention will be described in detail.

The ware produced on forming machines (not shown) is placed on a conveyor 10 whose upper surface is moving from left to right, as viewed in FIG. 1. The newly formed containers which are still relatively hot are positioned at spaced-apart intervals, as shown, and move freely through the treating apparatus generally designated 11. The treating apparatus 11 generally takes the form of an elongated, rectangular frame 12. The frame 12 basically comprises a vertically positioned wall 13 which extends along the length of the conveyor and is mounted to the side of the conveyor by an angle bracket 14. A horizontal rail 15 extends along the length of the conveyor in opposing relationship with respect to the wall 13 and is mounted to the side of the conveyor by an angle bracket 16. Spaced above the rail 15 is a connecting corner member 17 which extends parallel to the rail 15 and is joined at its ends to cross-tie members 18 and 19 which are connected to the wall 13 at the upper edge thereof.

A pair of vertical end brackets 20 extend from the ends of the corner member 17 and are connected to, or form a part of, the rail 15.

As can best be shown in FIG. 1, the side of the hood or treating apparatus 11 which is opposite the wall 13 is open between the upper surface of the rail 15 and the corner member 17. The top of the hood 11 is also open.

Four vaporizing guns 21 of conventional design extend at approximately 45 angles with respect to the members through which they extend, namely, the wall 13 and the rail 15, as shown in FIG. 1. These guns 21, two positioned on either side, effectively provide substantially full coverage of the circumference of the container as it passes through the hood. The guns are substantially horizontal and are positioned such that their line-of-sight is directed toward the lower half of the containers. Due to the fact that the bottles are hot and that convection thermals are present within the hood, this treatment will impinge upon the containers, will move upwardly and will effectively coat the entire outer surface of the container. In order to prevent this treatment from reaching the finish of the container, an elongated, horizontal pipe 22 is mounted to the inside surface of the wall 13. As best shown in FIG. 2, the pipe is perforated at a plurality of points 23. With the introduction of fluid, such as air, under pressure within the pipe 22, the air will exit through the perforations 23 and be directed in the pattern shown in FIG. 2, sweeping across the containers at a point just below the neck so as to, in effect, form a constant air barrier to the upwardly moving surface treatment vapor. Opposite the pipe 22, a horizontally extending opening of an exhaust manifold 24 is mounted. The exhaust manifold 24 essentially is a chamber in which the interior thereof is exhausted by a blower (not shown) which is connected to the stack 25 communicating with the chamber. The forward edge 26 of the manifold 24 is opened so that, in effect, the air barrier which extends across the finish of the containers will enter the edge 26 of the manifold 24 and be exhausted up through the stack 25.

As shown in FIG. 1, there is a second exhaust manifold 27 positioned downstream of the first manifold 24. The second manifold 27 and its exhaust stack 28 is substantially identical in configuration and operation as manifold 24. Also, it should be noted that the pipe 22 extends along the side of the wall 13 for the full length of the hood 11 such that the air barrier is continually applied to the containers as they move from the treating area which is opposite the manifold 24 to the area opposite the manifold 27 where it is assured that all possible vapor treatment which might become entrained As can readily be seen when viewing FIG. 2, the pipe 22 is mounted to the wall by a wing nut 28 and a screw 29 which extend through a slot 30. This arrangement-of mounting of the pipe to the rear wall is such that the pipes elevation may be adjusted vertically so as to accommodate the apparatus to different height bottles. By the same token, the manifolds 24 and 27 are mounted to the opposite side of the hood 11 by screws 31 which extend through a slot 32 formed in the vertical end brackets 20. In this manner the manifolds also may be adjusted vertically so as to maintain the relationship shown in FIG. 2, yet accommodate the apparatus for taller containers, it being understood that the perforations in the pipe 22 direct the air barrier in a somewhat downward angle and that the opening 26 in the manifold 24 and the manifold 27 is at a slightly lower elevation, substantially in line with the direction of the fiow of the air barrier.

Other and further modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In the method of treating containers by the application of a tin chloride or titanium chloride vapor to the exterior of the containers, comprising the steps of moving the containers in a substantially linear path at spaced intervals, directing a spray of said vapor at the moving containers from both sides thereof, directing a moving air barrier from one side at right angles to the path of movement of the containers to sweep across the finish portion of the containers, and exhausting the air from the opposite side adjacent the finish of the containers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the direction of the treatment spray is substantially horizontal and directed at the lower half of the containers.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the step of continuing the application of the air barrier across the finish of the moving containers and exhausting the opposite side for a period after the application of the vapor treatment to ensure the total absence of vapor treatment on the finish of the containers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,067,949 1/1937 Rez -60 2,358,651 9/1944 McGowan 117-94 2,383,470 8/1945 Morgan 117-94 X 3,002,321 10/1961 Dunipace et al. 65-119 X 3,195,501 7/1965 B'arkhau 65-60 X 3,352,707 11/1967 Pickard 65-60 X 3,420,693 1/ 1969 Scholes et al. 117-94 X 3,425,859 2/ 1969 Steigelman 65-60 X 3,453,095 7/1969 Loukes et a1. 65-60 X 3,479,208 11/ 1969 Dubble et al. 65-60 X 3,502,454 3/1970 Shonebarger 65-60 X 3,516,811 6/1970 Gatchet et a1. 65-60 3,561,940 2/1971 Scholes 65-60 FRANK W. MIGA, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

